Silky Skies
by HeartPiper
Summary: It all began with a magical drop of moonlight...
1. The Fountain of Youth

(New A/N, thanks to Queen Annie-Ferny's Calling's support!)

**I was reading mythology about the sun and the moon and I saw that the Aztecs used to think that gold was the sweat of the sun and silver was the tears of the moon so I got inspired.**

Once, when the world was new, the sun and the moon fought about which one should be the brightest. They clashed together relentlessly, the sun's sweat falling to earth in one single drop. From this drop grew a magnificent golden flower, but that is another story.

Eventually, the sun triumphed, and the moon cried in shame. One teardrop fell from its face and landed in a spring. The land surrounding it was wild and untamed, and it was many centuries before the spring was discovered….

**That was the prologue!**


	2. The Letter

**So this thing is going to be a parallel to our world. This is somewhere in the 1500's, when Columbus would have discovered America. Only I'm changing it from humble Native American tribes to a fully operational kingdom with lords, knights, a king, a militia, the whole package.**

King Christopher looked at the letter again. It was from his chief explorer, Eustace Greely, who was off in unknown territories. According to it, he had discovered another continent that already had its own kingdom. Called "America", he'd said.

"And the strangest thing is, they have a system of government and politics similar to ours, even though they tell us that they had no idea of our existence. Perhaps this could lead to a scientific breakthrough of patterns of human thought… but what am I saying?

Also, they have a large number of urban legends. There is supposedly a wild dragon and a unicorn wreaking havoc and tearing up the lands, causing deep chasms to open up, but I suspect these rumbles are simply earthquakes. Yes, a new idea, thought of by yours truly, that the world is made up of plates, and when these rub together…"

Christopher chuckled to himself. That Greely and his "scientific" ideas.

The letter continued with, "They also believe in gods and goddesses- we'll convert them soon, not to worry- that control the weather, the sun, and the moon. Which is impossible, of course.

"And finally, there is a fountain. A fountain that makes you young, forever. Absolutely ludicrous. Nothing can keep you young. They're just ridiculous. But entertaining, which is why I included them in my letter.

"The real reason I sent this is that the queen of this land is bearing a child. She has invited me to the celebration, which takes place in three weeks. I need you to grant me more time here, because leaving on such short notice might upset these people, and we need allies desperately. I think it would be in your best interests to say yes.

Sincerely, Eustace."

Christopher reached for his quill and parchment.

"Dear Eustace," he began, "If we had not been friends, I would have had you beheaded for that unruly questioning of my authority. You practically told me to let you stay, and that was not right. In fact, you will be killed the instant you come back."

He smiled at this, knowing that Eustace would too. Christopher had never executed anyone in his entire reign, and exchanging threats with Eustace like this ran back several years. It was now a private joke between the two.

"But on a more serious note, you are needed here. My daughter's fifth birthday is coming very soon. It would be to our diplomatic advantage to be there in three weeks, but I love Selena dearly, and it would mean much to me if you were here. But if this is truly as important as you say, then you may continue to work overseas. Tell this queen that you will go to her party on one condition.

"She must send a representative of her own here, to stay at my daughter's birthday. That way, we can learn about their country from him while they are learning from you. I just want to level out the playing field.

Sincerely, Chris."

He put his quill down and summoned a page to his room. The page left to send the letter and his anxiety faded. Greely would receive the letter, and in less than a month a man would arrive. It wouldn't be the same as having his best friend there to share his joy, but nonetheless the queen would be a man short as well. This was fair, no harm done.

Or so he thought.


	3. The Queen's Illness

**I had a better version of this chapter, but somehow it got deleted. Anyhow, enjoy!**

The queen was not happy with the letter.

"Give up one of my own men and send him to a foreign country we know nothing about? Your king must be very bold to ask of this," she said icily.

"But my lady," Eustace said with a gulp, "If you just sent him for a month-"

"No! A month is too long. It takes a month to sail there and back! He shall stay for no more than a week."

Eustace opened his mouth to argue, but stopped. "So... you will send a man?"

"Yes. But I can't send anyone as important as you. All those equal to your worth are already needed."

"Whatever for?"

"To guard from witches. They're always trying to steal children, and it will not happen with mine."

Eustace fought the urge to laugh and said in a serious tone, "What would a witch want with a child?"

"Ransom. Or they might need an apprentice to raise as their own," she said with a shiver. "At least, that's what I told everyone. But there is another, more selfish reason of mine, that not even my poor husband knows. I have contracted a terminal illness. My physician says that I will die while giving birth."

"That's horrible!" said Eustace. "You must tell someone!"

"I will not. I am weak, and scared. I am only telling you because I need someone to explain what happened to the rest of the kingdom."

_This will only make things worse, _Eustace thought frantically. _This is not what Chris wanted. I need to tell him._

"And to make sure you don't tell anyone," she continued, "I am placing you under house arrest. When I die, they will free you. And if you tell everyone what happened to me, the physician will confirm the diagnosis. If not, he will lie and you will be hanged."

He was escorted to his room by three guards, and stayed there for the next three weeks.


	4. A Golden Flower and a Silver Vine

Eustace's stomach churned with dread when a voice echoed through the castle, "The Queen is in labor! Pray for a baby girl!"

He had been locked in his room for three weeks, and if he didn't escape soon he would be forced to bring the news of the queen's death. He remembered that most people shot the messengers of bad news, and shivered.

"I have got to get out of here," he mumbled.

He walked to the balcony. It was a long fall, but he was desperate.

He jumped, caught the railing on the level beneath him, and pulled himself up in a feat that would leave him sore for many days to come.

"Now why didn't I do that sooner?" he mumbled again, and continued through the castle.

* * *

8-year-old Rowan knew, from the moment his feet hit the dock, that this would be an unpleasant stay.

Christopher had not been happy with the farm boy's arrival.

"I was expecting her to send someone with a little more…nobility," he had said with scarcely hidden disappointment. But it was Princess Selena's fifth birthday, so he wasn't going to make a fuss.

When Rowan met Selena, he knew that she would grow up to be beautiful someday. Her raven-black hair was fine and thin, already extremely long. She had pale skin, but it didn't look unhealthy. In fact, it shone like her silvery-blue eyes. He fell instantly in love with her.

He was shown to his room- a fabulous suite, with a king-sized bed and the biggest bedroom he had ever laid eyes on.

"I hope you are comfortable here for the next week," said Christopher.

"I believe I will be. And my queen sends her congratulations for Selena."

He fished a small vial out of his pocket. "This contains water from a magical spring. It brings health and longevity to whomever may drink it. It is a gift for the birthday girl."

The water, of course, had no magical properties whatsoever. He had scooped it from the well on his father's farm and simply put it in an elegant bottle. The well even had silver weeds, possibly poisonous, growing around it. But the king took it anyway.

"Thank you," he said. "Such an exquisite gift shall be appreciated."

But he didn't believe in it more than Rowan, and made a note to tell the maid to throw it out.

When she received such a pretty bottle, however, she couldn't help but pour a few drops into her hand. She tasted it, but nothing happened. In fact, it tasted like impure well water.

Dumping it into the nearest potted plant, she spat. "Disgusting," she muttered, and went back to cleaning. If she had turned around again, she might have noticed the plant unfurling its half-dead leaves and glowing silver, just for a moment. But it faded too quickly for her to see anything.

* * *

Eustace was walking through the castle, cheering at his luck at not being caught, when none other than the king burst into the hall.

"You," he said venomously. "What have you done to my wife?"

"I…I…I…" he trailed off, but then had an idea. "I just saw a witch!"

The king backed up and gasped. "A witch! She was poisoned by a witch! Quickly, we must find the Fountain of Youth!"

And before he knew it, Eustace had been placed in a group of knights to search for the mythical spring.

"Go, venerable explorer," said the king. "Cure my wife. Please, don't let her die."

"I won't," he replied, but groaned inwardly at his impossible promise.

He was given a horse named Maximus, an incredibly smart army horse. They rode into the forest, but he had doubts that they would even find a puddle in this dry area.

Fifteen minutes into their search, the sun went down and he heard a voice.

"_Flower, gleam, and bloom."_

"I hear something," he called to the group, and they stopped to listen.

"_Let your power shine."_

"Let's go!" he shouted. The rest did not object, as the enchanting song pulled them forward.

"Make the clock reverse," the voice sang more loudly as they got closer.

"Bring back what once was mine… what once… was… mine…."

The voice faded, but light shone brightly.

"We've found it! The Golden Flower!" someone called.

Eustace groaned, out loud this time. More urban legends.


	5. Witches and Curses

The queen was healed almost immediately, and Eustace was offered a spot on the royal guard. Meanwhile, Rowan was walking in the garden with King Christopher and Princess Selena. They came across a wilting plant with a single petal on it.

"Ooh, pretty flower!" Selena babbled happily.

"No, that's a leaf," the King replied.

"It looks like the plants I see on my father's fa- I mean, land," Rowan said, avoiding the word farm, which the king would definitely not appreciate.

"It's silvery. Is that different?" Selena asked.

"I guess so."

She shrugged and snapped the petal off.

"Well, I'm glad I was able to show you our lovely garden, Rowan. But we must get back to the party." He patted his stomach as he said, "Soon they'll be serving dessert."

"I'm hungry," Selena whined. She stuffed the petal in her mouth and chewed.

"Selena, darling, don't do that. It might not be edible," the king said with concern.

"Fine," she said, but kept it in her mouth. They started walking back and Selena began to sing.

"_Drops of rain are gloom-y. Drops of rain are wet,_

_But drops of moon are youth-ful, and make you younger yet."_

"Darling daughter, where did you hear that?"

"I don't know, father. But it sounds lovely." And she began to sing again.

"_Rays of sun can burn you, rays of sun can wane,_

_But rays of moon are sooth-ing and make you young again."_

Suddenly there came raucous laughter from behind the hedges.

"I've found my flower!" the voice said. The bushes parted to reveal a cloaked woman.

Rowan didn't see much of her face, just enough to know that it was ugly, before she grabbed Selena's arm and pulled her through.

"Help!" she cried, just before she disappeared.

Rowan didn't hesitate. He jumped in after them.

Giggles echoed around him. The hedges loomed ominously against the midnight blue sky.

"Selena!" he called. A muffled scream came from above him.

She was clinging to the woman, obviously in an attempt to not fall off the roof. Only a witch could have moved so quickly to the top of the castle.

"Bring her down here!" he shouted. The witch cackled.

"Nothing can make me do that," she sneered. "If my sister Gothel is going to live forever, then so will I! Even stealing my tower idea," she added in a sour note.

"Live forever," he breathed. "I know how you can live forever! I know where the fountain of youth is!"

The world spun and a strong gust of wind spun him around. When he got over his nausea, he was standing on top of the roof.

"Where is it, then?" she asked, surprise plastered on her craggy face.

"On my farm, in America."

"That's no hassle for me."

Within seconds the feeling of nausea came round again, and Rowan was in the middle of a field. The well was ten feet away.

"In there," he said. The witch immediately began to crank the wheel, and soon the water was running down her throat. But she gagged, and spat it out.

"You call this the fountain of youth! You are merely mocking me!" She waved her hand.

Suddenly Rowan was on his hands and knees. Darkness swarmed in on all sides.  
Pain. Unbearable pain.

And then it was over.

"That will teach you," she said, and turned to Selena. "How did you get your magic?"

She started to sing.

"_Drops of rain are gloom-y, drops of rain are wet…drops of moon are youth-ful and make you younger yet."_

The witch gasped as the weeds surrounding the well parted and revealed silver, moonlit flowers.

"All I have to do to them is sing?"

Selena nodded.

"Drops of rain are gloomy, drops of rain…" but her voice withered as the buds closed again.

Somehow, this girl was the only one who could sing to the and make them open.

Without hesitation, she snatched the girl into the sky and teleported away.

Rowan swallowed through his parched throat, picked himself up off the ground, and flew after them.


	6. Silk and her Prison

**Sorry, that last word there was supposed to be ****them****, not ****the.**

**Anyhow, remember to review!**

Ten years passed.

Eustace was removed from the royal guard only three days after his new job, for the theft of newly-born Rapunzel. He was sent back to King Christopher's Kingdom, only to find that his child too had been stolen. Each kingdom blamed the other for the kidnappings, and soon they were at war.

In truth, Gothel and her twin sister, Gretel, had been competing. Not for gold, or fame, or power. For life.

Both of them were trying to outlast each other, and so far Gretel was winning.

As she grinned over her prize, she thought, _What does Gothel have? An 18 year old blonde brat who won't stop nagging her. I have the real deal. I have my own five star servant who doesn't leave ten-foot long strands of hair in my soup._

She grinned at that, remembering when Gothel had once treated her to lunch and slipped poison in her soup. She still laughed at her shocked face when she drank every last drop and was still breathing. Unknown to Gothel, however, Gretel was immune to Death Angel Mushrooms. But she always remembered that with a sad note, as she too had tried and failed to kill her sister with the sinister plant as well.

"Silk! Bring my tea!" she called.

"Yes ma'am," came a singsong voice from below.

Silk came running up the stairs, and Gretel smiled again. Her tower was much larger and grander than Gothel's, and included a game room, sauna, theater, several large bedrooms, and even a torture chamber.

Silk finally arrived, panting with the effort of running. She smiled thinly and set the tea tray on the bed.

"Is it-"

"Caramelized Hazelnut, your favorite!" she interjected.

"Excellent. Now I need you to clean the fireplace. The embers are starting to stink up the place."

"But I just replaced them this morning-"

"Wonderful, my dear. And as soon as you're done with that, you'll need to wash the bed sheets and fetch new ones, for the guest rooms too-"

"But no one has slept in them-"

"And feed the animals-"

"We haven't any animals-"

"Don't forget the dishes-"

"I already-"

"Dust the rafters-"

"But-"

"Stop interrupting!" Gretel finally said, and Silk held her tongue.

"Gretel, I was wondering…"

"What now, child?" she said, exasperated.

"Could you tell me about my past?"

Gretel went quiet.

"Please? I just want to know-"

"Silence. If you do your chores, I may. I am leaving now."

She stepped into the fireplace and whizzed upward.

Silk instantly stepped in after her, but it was too late. Earlier in her childhood, she'd tried to climb the slick walls of the fireplace, the only opening to the outside world in the entire tower. But to no avail.

She sat down, and not for the first time, cried.

There was no escape. No windows, no doors, just a fireplace with a small square of light at the top that dangled tauntingly above her head, just out of reach.

She only had one friend in the whole world.

Raven settled on her shoulder and crooned peacefully.

"I just want to leave," she said to him. "I'll bet you do too."

He simply nodded his head and lifted his broken wing.

"I've tried to heal it," she said. "But you won't eat the moonvine."

He tilted his head.

"Moonvine," she breathed. "That's what you were trying to tell me! I forgot to sing to them!"

She dashed down the stairs, into the basement. The floor cut off abruptly and changed to dirt, and a faint silvery glow came from up ahead.

The vines were all clustered around a well, and Silk quickly recited her moon song.

The buds lifted their leaves in the direction of her voice and opened up, filling the dark room with shimmering light.

"For a scary moment there, it looked like they were dying," she said with a nervous laugh. "Let's go make lunch."

She traveled farther into the room, which also grew vegetables, fruits, and spices, and picked a few. As she was about to make her way to the kitchen, however, Raven flew to a particular spot in the wall. He always flew there, and Silk sighed.

"There's nothing there, you silly bird," she said. "Come on. I have to make Gretel's soup."

She plucked a flower from the moonvine and added it to her load of food. Raven reluctantly followed.

Silk finally found the kitchen, but not before getting lost a few times in the tangled mass of hallways. She put water on the stove and began to drop in ingredients. Raven twittered to get her attention.

"I know, I know. Here's your food."

His beak moved up and down, as fast as a typewriter, while he ate. He gave a loud squawk and Silk heard something pop as his wing realigned itself. He got over his surprise and chattered angrily.

"You looked like you were in pain, so I slipped a few petals in there," Silk explained. "You wouldn't let me heal it otherwise."

Fuming, he took off toward Gretel's room. Silk dashed after him just in time to see a black form shooting up the chimney.

She collapsed on the ground and sobbed. Now her only friend had just deserted her.


End file.
